MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Port Authority and CSX Transportation broke ground on a new inland port intermodal facility in Montgomery that will be capable of handling 30,000 containers for transfer between trains and trucks. The $94 million Montgomery Intermodal Container Transfer Facility or ICTF, was announced in 2022 [see “Alabama Port Authority announces …,” […]
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has begun a pilot program with a division of Google that uses smartphones to help detect potential subway track defects. The program announced Thursday, Feb. 27, builds on TrackInspect, a prototype developed with the Rapid Innovation Team at Google Public Sector. Tested on the subway A line of […]
An Electro-Motive Division GP38 diesel locomotive is now available in HO scale from Rapido Trains. The four-axle road switcher features plastic and die-cast metal construction, railroad-specific details, and body-mounted metal couplers. Prototype history Electro-Motive Division produced the GP38 from January 1966 through December 1971. During the course of the production run, 733 units were built […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has initiated a two-step process to seek a “delivery partner” for the Dallas-Houston high speed rail project, the former Texas Central effort it joined in 2023. A notice on the company’s procurement website says that partner “will be responsible for facilitating Amtrak’s delivery of the project.” The company selected “will provide advice, […]
NEW YORK — Metro-North’s latest heritage locomotive, honoring predecessor New York, New Haven & Hartford, will make its operating debut on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, the commuter railroad has announced. The locomotive will debut on train No. 1841, a 7:51 a.m. departure from Danbury, Conn., arriving at Grand Central Terminal on 9:55 a.m. “The Heritage […]
Colorado’s Royal Gorge Route Railroad has returned its F7A and F7B locomotives to service. With an impressive plume of smoke, F7A No. 403, built for the Chicago & North Western in 1949, and former Alaska Railroad F7B No. 1503 led a train out of Cañon City, Colo., on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. It was the […]
SANTA FE, N.M. — A committee of the New Mexico House of Representatives is slated to consider legislation that would require railroads to install wayside hot-bearing and dragging-equipment detectors at least every 10 miles. HB 146, introduced by Rep. Dayan Hochman-Vigil (D-Albuquerque), is one of three bills set for consideration today (Feb. 27, 2025) by […]
YUMA, Ariz. — Approximately a dozen cars of a Union Pacific intermodal train derailed Tuesday evening just north of Yuma, closing a grade crossing overnight and significantly delaying the Sunset Limited. No injuries were reported in the incident, which occurred about 6:15 p.m., UP said in a statement to TV stations KYMA and KECY. Rural […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration this week announced it would not enforce a safety regulation finalized last October until at least March, citing an executive order signed last month by President Donald Trump calling for a freeze of new regulations. The FTA rule in question allows state agencies with oversight of rail transit operations […]
SAN CARLOS, Calif. — A new poll shows strong general support for Caltrain, as well as support for funding for the commuter rail operation in the wake of its launch of electrified operation. The poll, presented on Wednesday, Feb. 26, to a meeting of Caltrain’s Advocacy and Major Projects Committee, shows 82% of likely voters […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic fell below 2024 levels for the week ending Feb. 22, 2025, ending a string of three weeks where traffic was ahead of prior-year levels. According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, total volume was 458,514 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.1% from the same week a year ago. […]
MONTREAL — Quebec’s Court of Appeals has upheld a lower-court ruling that found Canadian Pacific Railway was not legally responsible for the 2013 Lac-Mégantic disaster. The Canadian Press reports that in a ruling today (Feb. 26, 2025), a three-judge court panel denied three appeals that sought to require CPR to pay into a compensation fund […]
